We’ve had another beautiful week at West School! As we say goodbye to summer and welcome autumn, we certainly have to be thankful for the gorgeous weather we’ve had. We’ve also had another busy week at West, too! Our teachers have been meeting this week for their Professional Learning Communities – thank you to the hard working West staff for their collaboration this week. We had many meetings on Tuesday - I met with Mrs. Drouillard, Ms. Blake, and Mr. Curran on Tuesday to discuss their instructional goals for the 2015-2016 school year. My thanks to them! We enjoyed an enrichment assembly on Wednesday morning, learning about "Science and Electricity" through puppets! Thanks so much to our PTA for sponsoring this program for our students. We had early release on Wednesday afternoon; West teachers had professional development. We will round out our week on Friday afternoon with our September “Westie Awards” assembly. We are acknowledging and recognizing West staff and students who exemplify respect, kindness, compassion and responsibility at West. We will also review safety protocols at West, for students, remembering to keep our doors locked at all times for security. Have a wonderful weekend with your friends and families!
1 Comment
What a beautiful week this has been at West School! As we say goodbye to summer and welcome autumn, it is nice to know that we still have some nice days left ahead to enjoy with this gorgeous weather.
This week was another busy one at West! Third grade teachers had their make-up Professional Learning Community meeting on Monday afternoon. I had several meetings with many teachers this week to discuss their professional goals for their instruction practice: Mr. Young, Ms. Donovan, Ms. Thompson, Ms. Friedmann, Mrs. McBride, Mrs. Dubois, Mrs. Walsh, Mrs. Hamilton and Ms. Keeley. Thank you to our West teachers! I enjoyed having lunch with Ms. Keegan’s first grade class on Thursday – what a special treat for me! I also enjoyed reading to Ms. Learning’s third grade class on Wednesday – thank you for hosting me, boys and girls! We had a successful fire drill on Wednesday afternoon - thank you to our students and teachers for practicing safety at West! We welcomed Mrs. Repose to West Elementary on Thursday as our new title 1 teacher – welcome Mrs. Repose! The Staff Rewards/Recognition Committee met after school on Wednesday – we have come up with some great ideas for thanking and acknowledging our hard working West employees. Thank you to our committee! Several West employees attended CPI Safety training on Wednesday and Thursday. We will have a literacy Reading Recovery meeting on Friday afternoon, and of course we hosted all West parents and families this week for our annual open houses on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. We had great turn-out on both nights - it is so nice to have your support - thank you all for coming. Enjoy your weekend - see you soon at West Elementary! I am pleased to report that West Elementary School has officially been granted "Lighthouse Status" with Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence, a non-profit corporation. This is the highest level of distinction within their four levels (Lighthouse Status, Beacon Status, Points of Light Status, Aspiring Status) .This is a significant achievement - not only for West Elementary School, but for Plymouth Public Schools. This is a nationally recognized credential, with the highest standards of academic rigor, reflecting an optimal learning culture and climate for our children. We are very proud of the work that our teachers, staff, students and parents committed to; I could not be more pleased.
Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence is a highly regarded body of education professionals, critiquing schools on a national level. We are extremely grateful and appreciative for everyone’s contributions. We have been evaluated against hundreds of schools across the country, working very hard for the past twelve months. This endeavor took incredible work from all corners of the West community! Most importantly, we are confident that we are working towards the common goal and shared vision of providing the best possible public school experience for every student. This distinction reflects a national credential for excellence in public education, requiring tremendous focus and effort, with the highest standards for professionalism and integrity. The West community has demonstrated a strong commitment to continuous self-improvement, which will benefit our children immensely. Congratulations to the West Elementary School in Plymouth, Massachusetts! For more information, please visit www.blueribbonschools.com This week was another busy one at West! Despite the very hot temperatures (and heavy rains) we have settled into our routines at West very nicely. We all enjoyed a nice long Labor Day weekend! On Tuesday our second grade teachers met for their first Professional Learning Community meeting of the year – thank you teachers. We had a successful fire drill on Tuesday morning – thank you to everyone for their focus and cooperation during this very important safety exercise! I met with Mrs. Cormier on Tuesday as well – she has a very exciting new club coming soon to West students! I enjoyed reading to Ms. Keegan’s class on Wednesday morning. We all enjoyed “The Napping House” – what an exciting book, filled with suspense. The first grade teachers had their first PLC meeting on Wednesday morning. On Thursday morning we had “Storia” digital literacy training with Mrs. Lacroix-White on Thursday morning. This is an excellent literacy resource for our teachers to have, with thousands of book titles available to use. We also welcomed Mrs. Julie Repose, our new Title 1 teacher, to West Elementary on Thursday. Mrs. Repose will be working with us at West for approximately 20 hours per week. The kindergarten team had their Professional Learning Community meeting on Thursday morning. I enjoyed having lunch with Ms. Learning’s third grade class on Thursday afternoon – thank you for hosting me boys and girls! The fourth grade teachers held their PLC meeting on Thursday afternoon. We also had our first West School Council meeting on Thursday after school at 6:00 PM, and our first PTA meeting of the new year at 7:00 PM. On Friday, the fifth grade teachers will have their first Professional Learning Community meeting of the year. Thank you for your continued support! Congratulations to everyone for our Blue Ribbon achievement! See you soon at West! Wow! What a great first week we've had at West! We are back in the saddle, with our first week of school under our belts. It is always an adjustment to get back into our routines, and even though it still feels like summer outside, we are ready to take on the new school year! We started a full day kindergarten at West for the first time – thank you Mrs. Walsh for her leadership and hard work. We also started our first Pre-School program at West – we welcome Mrs. Begley and her staff at West School; we know they will become valuable members of the West community. Ms. Perry and I met with Mrs. Lacroix-White and Mrs. Marchesani this week, (our elementary literacy and math coaches) to plan curriculum objectives for the year.
West parents: please let me know if you are interested in serving on the West School Council for 2015-2016. We have openings available this year for West parents to serve on this important council. The West School Council is a body of West teachers, parents, and PTA members. We discuss the monthly goals and objectives set for West School, driving our School Improvement Plan that we present to School Committee every January. School Council members truly have "a voice" in how West School operates and what the priorities will be to focus on. If you are interested in serving on the School Council for 2015-2016, please e-mail me at [email protected]. We meet on the first Thursdays of every month for one hour at 6:00 PM. Our first meeting is next week on Thursday, September 10th. The West PTA is also meeting next Thursday, September 10th at 7:00 PM in the West Art Room - please come join us! The West School Open Houses will be held on Tuesday, September 15th from 6:00 - 7:15 PM for K-2 and on Thursday, September 17th from 6:00 - 7:15 PM for grades 3-5 There is no school on Friday, September 4th or on Monday, September 7th. Have an excellent long Labor Day weekend with your friends and families! School resumes on Tuesday, September 8th. |
Archives
June 2022
AuthorScott Williams is the principal of the West Elementary School in Plymouth, Massachusetts. He serves almost 400 families in the West community, and leads a staff of 70 professionals. Categories |